Battling Food Addiction

Do any of my readers suffer from food addiction? If so, is it food in general? Certain foods? Only in certain moods? Only when alone?

To my food addiction, my answers to the above questions are all yeses. (And yes, I googled the correct spelling of the plural of yes, and this spelling satisfied both Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries.)

If carbs are your Nemesis, I can highly recommend the 21-Day Sugar Detox, by Diane Sanfilippo. You can buy it just about anywhere, but click here for the amazon link.  My daughter and I did the whole three weeks, and liked it so much we continued it (mostly) for a while afterwards. I think we've both decided to do it for real again, because, y'know. Life. It's not a diet book (which is why you can eat white potatoes and full-fat dairy... in fact, she insists!), it's a sugar cleanse, just to get your body out of the carb-craving habit (of which I am a lifelong victim).

Sadly, I am also rather addicted to fatty foods, which are Not verboten on the sugar detox plan. So I would like to sound a note of caution to those who enjoy the fried stuff, too; although she restricts which type of oils you can eat, it's pretty easy to indulge in fried foods, excusing it by saying, 'but it was fried in coconut oil, so it's good for me!' Run, run! It's a trap!

I will say, though, that you Can enjoy foods that taste like they're bad for you but aren't, like this delicious plate of roasted cauliflower and garlic. Holy crap, it's good.

Please please share your ideas for beating food addictions! We could probably all use some new strategies! Thanks for reading. ~ MF

The Journey

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." ~ Lao Tzu

Or, in my case, a thousand "one steps," in all directions.

If I had left imprints of all the steps I've taken on this thousand-mile journey of my life (remember the Sunday comic, "Family Circus?"), the path would resemble nothing so much as an enormous wad of tangled yarn, with no end piece to mark the beginning of the journey, the conclusion, or even the direction taken.

I am 58 years old now, with no clearer picture of my "path" than ever.

I think I'm pretty much done with adventure in this lifetime, yet -- as I write that, a little voice is screaming, "NOOoooooo!" When I was young, I never understood the expression, "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." Well, hell's bells I understand it now. Every single day is a battle of wills; the Peter Pan inside my head yearning for youthful adventures, at thunderous loggerheads with my aging, ever-lazier body whimpering, "come back to bed."

A more fitting quote for me: "Inside every old person is a young person screaming, 'what the hell happened??'"

A Recipe Offering from Sarah

Sarah posted about this on Facebook today, and I kinda whined about wanting the recipe on my blog, so here it is! Sounds really light and refreshing; just what we need for these hot, humid, dog days of summer. Thanks, Sarah!!

From Moosewood Cookbook (revised edition).

Chilled Cucumber Yogurt Soup

4 cups peeled, seeded, and grated cucumber

2 cups water, 2 cups yogurt

1/2 to 1 tsp salt

1 small clove garlic, minced

1 tsp dried dill or 1 T fresh

minced fresh mint and chives

Combine everything except mint/chives and chill.  Serve topped with minced mint/chives.

Sarah's notes: I decided to puree instead of leaving chunky so I didn't bother grating the cukes or mincing the garlic or herbs, just tossed everything into a blender (did it in two batches).  I used a large clove of garlic and fresh dill and tossed the mint in when I pureed instead of keeping it to the side - didn't use chives.  Flavor was awesome but it was a little thin so next time I'll probably only use 1 cup of water.

So. I have decided that portion control is as big a problem for me as what I actually eat, so starting today, I am actually going to start following SERVING SIZES. I KNOW, radical, right? Turns out I underestimated the serving size of blueberries, but I started the day with 3/4 c of whole-grain cereal (actually a combination of two, one with flax and one with quinoa), 1/2 c. blueberries (turns out it should have been one cup), 1 banana, a small handful (literally - I was taught by a doctor how to measure a serving of nuts in your hand) of almonds, toasted, and a cup of 2% milk. (I normally would buy skim, but for some reason the store was out of 1/2 gallons. Weird.)

I feel so virtuous. I know it will be hard at first to teach my body that I am actually getting enough food, but I am sure I will grow accustomed to the new regimen OK. I am also going to start using the "1/2 plate vegetables" technique. I'm told that the book, "Mindless Eating," is an excellent wake-up call about the way we consume food. Haven't read it, but I think I should.

Beating the Heat into Tasty Submission

Holy Oh My Goodness!! What a delightful way to cool off in this disgusting heat!! A friend gave me this recipe: Watermelon, Feta, and Fresh Mint Salad. That's it. That's all that's in this. Sorry, D-Day, about the feta... perhaps there is some substitute that you can come up with. But yikes, this is so freaking good. I was told no specific quantities or ratios, but I'll tell you what I used: 1 personal-sized watermelon, probably made about 4 or 5 cups of cut-up pieces; about 1/4 lb feta, crumbled, and about 3 or 4 stems-worth of mint leaves, chopped up.

This recipe is seriously going on my Take To Summer Gatherings list!! Hope you try it, and ENJOY!

Spicy Black Bean Burgers with Chipotle Mayonnaise

These sound AMAZING! I just got this recipe in my inbox, and had to share! Let me know if you try it before I do!

Enchiladas, part deux, and other stuff

Here's the recipe for homemade enchilada sauce, which sounds delicious. I have been so frustrated that nobody, I mean NOBODY sells anything but Mild enchilada sauce, even International markets! Appalling. Anyway, I have a great recipe for green enchilada sauce, but this one sounds much more like what I grew up with: http://vegetarian.about.com/od/vegetarianmexicanrecipes/r/enchiladasauce.htm

ALSO, I would like to humbly apologize to my Peruvian chicken for finding it less than satisfactory last night. I just had some for lunch, and it was delicious! I guess it just had to rest a while (don't we all), but it was very tasty today. I did add some more lime juice to the dipping sauce; it tasted a bit too mayonnaise-y (which is saying a lot, coming from a mayo junkie). I was bummed to find that I didn't have any yellow mustard (how is that even possible? Does anyone Ever run out of yellow mustard??), so I used dijon, which just doesn't have the right flavor for this sauce. Maybe that's what I found disappointing last night, who knows? The extra lime juice definitely helped.

__________________________________________________

New Topic (see that cute little line up there?):
Yesterday and today I have for some inexplicable reason neglected to eat breakfast. I realize there are some people out there who Never eat breakfast, but I am not and have never been one of them. I like breakfast. I am hungry in the morning, so I like to break my fast. Except yesterday and today. What the hell. Yesterday was particularly bad, because I also didn't eat lunch. I just didn't even think about it until I was on the train on the way into DC in the early afternoon. This just never happens to me. Because I was going to a sketching session at a museum, I did not have the opportunity to rectify the situation (mostly because I didn't want to pay buttloads of money for crappy food in the museum cafe) until I got home, around 5:30. NOT GOOD, people.

You would have thought that after a day of hunger like that I would have been more attentive to my needs today and actually eaten breakfast. Huh.

It's kinda funny, now that I know that I have blood sugar issues, I am much more aware of what I put into my mouth (which is obviously a good thing); and having cared for my diabetic mother I definitely know such things as the importance of regular meals to maintain more steady BS levels (knock it off... that stands for blood sugar, Not bull sh*t, of which I am admittedly a prolific purveyor), so why why WHY would I allow myself to go all day without food??

This behavior must be nipped in the bud.

I'm wondering if it is partly due to my lack of imagination when it comes to breakfast. Eggs and toast is pretty much my norm, and it's pretty boring; I'm not a big cold cereal girl - not because I don't like it, but mostly because I never have milk in the house, and when I do it goes bad before I've had a chance to consume it; hot cereal seems cumbersome to make in the morning, and honestly... oatmeal?? UGH. Probably wouldn't kill me to develop a taste for it, but I think it would need some serious embellishment.

SO. If any of you dear people have zippy quick and tasty ideas for breakfast (and cheap. Cheap is good, too), feel free to share them. Thanks for playing.

Recipes!

I have it on good authority (thanks, Marnie!) that this recipe is very tasty, so I'm sharing it here! It sounds delicious, so I will try these Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas at my earliest opportunity!

In the meantime, this is what I'm starting tonight, just to marinate. I will cook it tomorrow. If you've never had Peruvian Chicken, you are SO missing out! This recipe is pretty close to the yumminess you get at any of the various Pollo a la Brasa places around here.

PERUVIAN CHICKEN

1 4lb chicken
4 T white vinegar
3 T white wine
3 T canola oil
2 ½ T garlic powder
2 T paprika
2 T cumin
2 t black pepper
1 t salt
juice of 1 lemon
1 qt cold water

Combine vinegar, wine, and oil with garlic powder, paprika, cumin, pepper, and salt. Mix well.

Add lemon juice to cold water. Trim excess fat from chicken. Wash chicken thoroughly with lemon water. Place chicken in a ziplock bag; pour spice mixture over chicken, rubbing it into every surface. Try to get as much spice mixture under the skin as much as possible. Seal chicken in bag and refrigerate 2 to 24 hours. (The longer it marinates, the better, just not more than 24 hours.) 

Preheat oven to 300° and cook chicken for 1 ½ hours, or until cooked through. Add a couple tablespoons of water to the marinade, and baste the chicken with it every 15 minutes or so while it's baking. Make sure the last glazing has time to cook thoroughly.


DIPPING SAUCE

½ c mayonnaise
2 T mustard
3 T lime juice
1 T chili-garlic sauce (Asian), or to taste

Cauliflower Fritters!!

Sorry to keep you waiting so long for more words of ... er, wisdom? Whining? Whatever. No whining tonight, just happy happy taste buds! I just made cauliflower fritters from skinnytaste.com, and decided to pair them with Zesty Avocado Cilantro Buttermilk Dressing, from the same awesome site! Holy mackerel, SO DELICIOUS!! And easy-peasy to make!

Lousy picture, but yummy food. Well, except the (clearly) too-old-to-be-tasty cucumbers, which don't even have enough life left in them to Pretend to be green. :-/

Anyway, skinnytaste is great for any of you who do the Weight Watchers thing; in addition to usual nutrition content, they also give the "old points" and "new points" for WWs.

Radishes...

Not something I would normally associate with Brussels sprouts... you? Well, I just oven-roasted a bunch of radishes because someone told me that they were tasty that way, and that they don't much taste like radishes. I don't *mind* the taste of raw radishes, I just don't ever think to eat them, because in my youth, they were just a garnish; no one ever actually Ate them, except my father, who was weird that way.

Anyway, so I roasted these radishes (sorry, no pics... I gobbled them up too fast!), just like I do Brussels sprouts, in about a 400-degree oven (in this case, the toaster oven, since I just had a single bunch), drizzled with olive oil and a sprinkling of salt. Well, they're just delicious, that's all. They taste a Lot like roasted Brussels sprouts, and I'm not sure why. I never would have thought they were from the same vegetable family; they grow completely differently, and they are physically nothing alike. A vegetable conundrum, if you will. They do have a little bit of a peppery finish, unlike the leetle cabbages. I say give 'em a shot!

On the subject of little noshes (oh, did I forget to mention that the radishes were a snack? Whoops.), does anyone out there have any zippy ideas for easy, healthy snacks to have around? That require little or no prep? Low in carbs/fat/sodium (you know, all the things I love)? One of my favorite things is sliced cucumbers with little tiny slices of cheese on top, but I'm sure the cheese is a bad idea. Still better than Pringles and spray cheese, but I would like to set the bar a bit higher than that.

Comments, suggestions, welcome as always.

From my friend, Donna!

Donna from out in the rainy NW here. I've been a "convenient vegetarian" for about 12 years now. It was the movie "Babe" that convinced me that I didn't feel right eating animals anymore, but I use the term "convenient" because I usually go along with the crowd when invited out to dinner, and will eat the occasional turkey for Thanksgiving, etc. But recently I saw the movie, "Forks Over Knives," through Netflix, and am now working on becoming vegan. (Man, that ice cream is hard to give up, tho!) The movie is great—and definitely thought-provoking, especially when they show how adapting a vegan diet can help with not just diabetes and heart disease, but cancer, too. And I thought this Huffington Post article, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/shattering-the-meat-myth_b_214390.html was interesting, as well, with its title, "Shattering The Meat Myth: Humans Are Natural Vegetarians."

But I know what you mean about the high cost of fresh fruits and vegetables--I can't get over paying $2 to $3 for ONE green pepper. Thought this article had some good ideas on healthy, low-cost meals: http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/vegetarian-eating-on-a-budget.aspx .

But I think you have two great things going for you in adapting a new diet. 1)It seems like you LIKE to cook! This is great, as you don't mind spending time in the kitchen and trying new recipes. (I, on the other hand, think that spending any more than 10 minutes fixing a meal is a waste of my time and I'd rather be doing something--anything! else.) 2) You live alone and don't have to fix, or be around other meals, that don't go along with your diet. A friend of mine signed up with a CSA--getting different fresh veggies every other week--hoping her veg-hating husband might also enjoy the new tastes, but it was a disaster, as she ended up with way too much fresh (and ultimately rotting) produce and having to fix two different meals every night.

Lastly, and speaking from experience, I would encourage you to consider getting another dog or walking your friends' or family's dogs on a regular basis. Knowing my dog has been inside all day is the biggest impetus to get me outside with her on an invigorating, calorie-busting walk. And I invariably feel better afterward!

Didn’t mean for this to get so long, but wanted to say that I'm sorry your health situation has forced you into this change in diet, but I hope/believe that you will definitely benefit from a new way of eating! Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go buy a mango and some pepitas and start massaging that head of kale in my fridge! Thanks for the new recipes!

Best wishes and happy eating, Mary!
~Donna
Ps. Morningstar “bacon” isn’t the real thing, but it’s not a bad substitute. Had it this morning…and my dog Lacey definitely approves!

Shattering The Meat Myth: Humans Are Natural Vegetarians

www.huffingtonpost.com

Going through the comments of some of my recent posts, I noticed the frequently stated notion that eating meat was an essential step in human evolution. While this notion may comfort the meat industry, it's simply not true, scientifically.

Snacks!

I had an impromptu Artists' Play Date yesterday afternoon with my dear friend, Lilly. Her patio was the perfect setting for a creative outing; the sun was warm on my back, there was a beautiful breeze gently billowing our pages (em, along with the occasional flying-off-the-table of plastic paint dishes, which resulted in some hilarity while Lilly wrestled the water hose for clean-up), and Pandora fed our creative souls with pieces from George Winston, Tuck & Patti, and Eva Cassidy. It was just lovely. And THEN... Lilly comes out with our snack! Just look at how yummy! That dip for the apples is almond butter - delicious! Red pepper hummus for the carrots and assorted crisps. What a truly delightful afternoon!

For dinner last night I made Massaged Kale Salad (recipe below) and had leftover quinoa and roasted Brussels sprouts from the other night, and a couple clementines for dessert. Successful day! :)

This salad is SO GOOD!

MASSAGED KALE SALAD
(from Aarti Sequeira, "Aarti Party" on food network)

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale (black kale is especially good), stalks removed and discarded, leaves thinly sliced
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons honey
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 mango, diced small (about 1 cup)
• Small handful toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), about 2 rounded tablespoons

Directions

In large serving bowl, add the kale, half of lemon juice, a drizzle of oil and a little kosher salt. Massage until the kale starts to soften and wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside while you make the dressing.
In a small bowl, whisk remaining lemon juice with the honey and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Stream in the 1/4 cup of oil while whisking until a dressing forms, and you like how it tastes.
Pour the dressing over the kale, and add the mango and pepitas. Toss and serve.

Isn't this pretty? It's my breakfast sandwich! 12-grain bread, tahini and a leetle mayo, one egg - fried in a non-stick pan with a little oil spray, two slices tomato, one skinny slice of cheddar cheese,* and a pile o' sprouts. YUM.

*I am a cheese fiend, people. I have never met a cheese I didn't like, so it's pretty hard for me to be judicious in my portion control. Although buying a two-pound block of sharp cheddar is what I *wanted* to do, I went to the deli section instead and bought a half pound of THINLY sliced cheddar. The price/lb was higher, but I spent less, and I have found that I can take a slice of it and be happy with that, rather than the slabs I would have carved from the large hunk.

Not your auntie's scallops, I'm afraid.

So... this is a lesson in how to screw up a scallop dinner. In my humble opinion, scallops should be eaten in a nice heavy cream sauce, full of calories and yumminess. What you DON'T want to do is overcook them. *sigh*

I marinated them for about ten minutes in a balsamic vinegar/lemon juice/olive oil/orange zest kind of concoction, adapted from an epicurious.com recipe, then sauteed them in the marinade. They were supposed to cook for like 2 minutes, but I was also keeping an eye on the roasting Brussels sprouts and the quinoa, so time May or may not have slipped away from me. In any case, the succulent little nuggets were just not as ... succulent as they should have been. Taste wasn't bad, just underwhelming when all my taste buds could think of was the amazing scallop casserole that my ex-husband's aunt used to make for Thanksgiving dinner (it was Maine; it's obligatory to have some sort of sea creature at all festive occasions). That sucker was LOADED with creamy goodness. *wistful sigh*

Anywayy, I also cooked some quinoa, just plain; I wasn't really prepared to do anything more creative, but it was a mixture of a few different varieties, so it was actually very tasty by itself. The plate looked really rather boring, so I sliced up some cucumber to lighten things up a bit. The plate is still fairly monochromatic, but the Brussels sprouts were SO good, I saved them for last. They were just oven-roasted with a little olive oil, and a LITTLE salt (that's for my daughters, who literally hide the salt shaker from me; I have a little addiction problem, OK? I'm working on it).

Watermelon for dessert, and I would say that I have had a pretty successful day of food. Yayy!

My newest challenge

So. I recently had some blood tests, mostly I went for my thyroid test (which was *ahem* long overdue), but the doc also wanted a blood glucose test and a vitamin D test. I officially flunked all of them. The thyroid one was no surprise, although the magnitude of the imbalance was a bit of a jolt, even to my doctor. The normal range of TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) is .5 to 4.5/5.0; mine came back at 109. Your eyes did not deceive you, there was no decimal in that number. Yeah, so that happened.

My blood sugar, the doc reported, was at "diabetic levels." She said, "this may in part be due to the thyroid imbalance, and may be improved with lifestyle changes." Hmm, by 'lifestyle changes,' I'm betting she was referring to binges of Pringles and spray cheese, or eating Chef Boyardee ravioli several times a week. Yes, guilty as hell on both counts.

ANYway, since I am now officially and forever to be labeled as a diabetic, I have to make some dietary changes whether I like it or not. Mostly because (as one of my friends accurately posted on Facebook) healthy eating - while depressingly expensive - is cheaper than medical care for unhealthy eating.

I now am the proud owner of a large head of kale, some quinoa, whole grain bread, and a bunch of other assorted veggies and fruit. I am going to make some sort of a quinoa/kale salad that's going to be so damned healthy I will feel like I'm 20 again. Yikes. What a scary thought!

As always, comments, suggestions, recipes, etc. are welcome! Thanks for playing.

Hello Autumn!!!

Just had the most wonderful evening. I played hookie tonight from the Swing Dancing workshop (sounded cool, but I just needed some SERIOUS introvert time...), so while Chris went out to perfect his super-cool moves, I stayed home and celebrated Autumn in the kitchen.

So I spent the evening cooking and listening to George Winston's "Autumn" (*LOVE*) on Spotify. (The link is to the first track on the album, via youtube. BTW, Have I mentioned that I <3 Spotify?!!!) ANYway, so, here is a photo journal of the evening, inspired by Rachel (sorry the pics are kinda crappy - couldn't find camera so went with cell phone...)

First, I was inspired by Rachel's Pumpkin Soup post...it's awesome!! The only adjustment I would make next time would be to add a bit more spice - didn't have quite as much kick as I'd like...

The ingredients - mostly organic!:

The fool-proof, no-cry onion cutting method...er...sideways, sorry!

Yes, I am grating my own nutmeg! ;-)

Chris would be so proud of my Mise En Place!!

Yummy sizzling onions...

Simmering with lovely aroma...(Rachel does yours develop a kind of foamy 'skin' as it's simmering? I just skimmed it off a few times throughout the simmering...)

As Rachel was looking for pairing suggestions, I planned to eat the pumpkin soup with some artisan bread and cheese, but when I was tasting the different breads at Central Market, I fell in love with IRish soda bread all over again and thought it would pair nicely. I am eating it now, with some apple slices on the side, sans cheese (forgot to buy) - sooo good together! (See pic at top of page) I think a grilled cheese and apple on the Irish sb would be freaking amazing though...

Then I remembered how much I loved Apple Crisp and asked Rachel if she had a recipe, so she sent me to another awesome post (I didn't know you guys went apple picking - *jealous*) in which she confessed the whole crisp/cobbler ignorance - I laughed out loud at that; I think it was only a few years ago that I discovered that difference myself and felt like a dunderhead. ;-).

For the cobbler, I tried to cut down on the fat and only used about 3T butter. The topping is a little dry, but when it's all mixed in with the apples in your bowl it's still yummy!

...and then I remembered the BEST CHAI EVER that I have been buying way too frequently at the Central Market cafe, lately and how I wanted to try making a mix of my own.

I used this recipe for the Chai mix, but left out the overprocessed crap, so that it's basically just the sugar and spices - it's really quite good! I only used 1/2 c. sugar also added more cinnamon and nutmeg as the ginger and cardamom were quite strong. To prepare it I steeped a black tea bag in 1/2 c. hot water with 3t. of the mix and then added steamed soy to fill the cup (I'm sure microwaved or stove-top heated soy or regular milk would be fine). I think the next batch I make will just be the spices so that I people can add as much sugar/honey/agave/splenda or whatever to their own taste. I forgot to take a picture of the hot drink, but it was yummy, foamy, spicy goodness - I'm sure you can picture it!

This post is not NEARLY as entertaining as Rachel, but I wanted to share it with you all as I was thinking of you guys throughout the evening, and wishing we were all enjoying the fruits of my labor together!

Are you guys familiar with Bento boxes? It's a Japanese style meal, like what you have at Teaism, Mom, with a balance of veggies, carbs and protein. It's a super healthy way to eat and kind of fun too. This site: http://www.justbento.com/ has lots of great recipe ideas and all about making balanced bento meals. Chris is normally my personal chef, but as he's still relaxing with the family in Florida, I am scrambling to throw together some healthy meals for myself this week. I'm going to make Sarah's chili and polenta for my dinners, and also these two recipes from justbento for my lunches:

Stir Fried Cabbage with cranberries: http://justbento.com/handbook/recipes-sides-and-fillers/stir-fried-cabbage-garlic-dried-cranberries-balsamic

Eggs in Treasure bags: http://justbento.com/handbook/recipe-collection-mains/eggs-treasure-bags

I plan to supplement with mixed wild rice, and have fruits and nuts for snacks. I might also make some sesame noodles for one of the meals instead of rice to add variety. Anyway, I'll let you all know how everything turns out, and let me know what you think of the site!

*Hugs*

This is actually from Sarah

She tried to comment directly, but was for some inexplicable reason blocked by blogger. :( Anyway, here's what she had to say:

Re: reheatable dishes, how about soups/stews/chilis? Most are easy to make and healthy and most are freezable too. I like to freeze a few portions of any big meals I make so that I don't get sick of leftovers and so that I have a ready supply of homemade food on hand for the nights when I don't feel like cooking. I've attached two recipes, one is for a vegan chili which took me forever to perfect and is the bomb. the chili is freezable, but I don't think the polenta is. The second is a veggie burger rachel and I came up with one of the times I was visiting - you may have been there? Anyhoo, for these, I only cook what I'm going to eat immediately, then I form the rest into patties and layer them between layers of wax paper and put in freezer bags to freeze. This way you can pull one out at a time, and I've successfully skillet cooked them in a very small amount of oil directly from frozen. These are probably good with whatever fixins you like, but I love them with hummus and/or lemon-tahini dressing.

Sarah’s vegan chili with green chili-corn-smoked cheddar polenta

Chili

Ingredients:

A couple T olive oil

2 medium sized onions, chopped

1 habenero and 1 jalapeno, minced seeds and all

3 cans beans (black, red, white), drained and rinsed

2 cans diced tomatoes (drain juice and reserve)

2 sweet potatoes, pre-cooked, cooled, with skins removed (I baked them the night before)

1 pkg frozen corn

1 pkg frozen spinach

½ cup bulgar wheat

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup maple syrup

3 T chili powder

2 T cumin

2 bay leaves

¼ t cayenne pepper

Salt and black pepper to taste

~2 cups additional water or broth

1. cook onions and hot peppers in olive oil for 10 min
2. while onions are cooking, simmer bulgar wheat in reserved tomato juice for 10 min
3. add bulgar wheat and all other ingredients to onions, stir well, and simmer for 30 minutes to an hour, add additional water or broth as necessary. Adjust seasoning as desired

Polenta

Ingredients:

6 cups water

~ 1 t salt

2 cups bob’s red mill corn grits (or equivalent)

3 T butter

2 T honey

1 7 oz can green chilies (I drained some of juice off and added it to chili)

½ to 1 pkg frozen corn, thawed

½ cup packed grated smoked cheddar

1. Bring water and salt to a boil
2. slowly add in corn grits, stirring as you add
3. reduce heat and cook for ~ 30 min, stirring frequently
4. after 10 minutes add in butter and honey
5. after 20 minutes add in chilies and corn
6. in the last 5 minutes, stir in cheese until melted
7. spoon into a non-reactive bowl and allow to set for 10-20 minutes
8. invert onto a plate

To serve:

Cut out wedges of polenta, or just spoon out, and place in the bottom of a bowl. Top with chili, grated cheese, and sour cream. Serve immediately.

Note, using olive oil or earth balance in place of butter and omitting cheese or replacing with vegan alternative will make the polenta vegan as well.

SaRachel’s Lentil-black bean burgers

Ingredients:

½ cup green lentils, dry

2 ½ cups hot water

½ can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 small onion, chopped

2 clove garlic, minced

1 ½ tsp cumin

¼ tsp cayenne

1 T soy sauce

¾ cup breadcrumbs

2 eggs, beaten

Salt and pepper to taste

A little oil to cook the burgers in

Directions:

1. Cook lentils:
1. Combine lentils and hot water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer ~ 30 minutes until tender
2. Saute onions in a little oil for 5 min, add garlic and sauté for one more minute.
3. Add cumin and cayenne and cook for one more minute.
4. Combine lentils and black beans and mash roughly so there are still some chunks
5. Combine onion mixture with lentil-bean mixture
6. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well mixed
1. Optional embellishments

i. Sauted/steamed – carrots, greens, mushrooms

ii. Fresh basil or other herbs

7. Adjust liquid (eggs or water) or solid (breadcrumbs or black beans) as necessary for desired consistency.
8. Adjust salt/pepper/soy sauce/cumin/cayenne for desired flavor
9. Form mixture into patties
10. Heat oil in a skillet and cook each patty 2-10 minutes per side, or until browned
11. You can also freeze these between layers of wax paper

DUH.

It just occurred to me that I never posted an update to explain the "shrinking" commentary.

As you may know, I work for a wedding/event florist as an assistant. During wedding season (April-ish to November-ish), there is a LOT of physical activity; climbing and descending stairs laden with crates full of heavy-a** water-and-flower-filled vases, breaking down and schlepping great piles of cardboard boxes to recycling, etc. Well, it turns out that this is an extremely effective weight loss/exercise regime, because over the past year, I lost over 30 pounds. 9" of that was off my butt. Seriously.

So now you know...

The Rest of the Story.
Good Day.

The Season is the Reason

Well, wedding season is gearing up. The temperatures are beginning to climb. These indicators can only mean one thing: I expect to continue shrinking for the next 7 months or so. Naturally, I do not depend on my job alone to accomplish this; I mean, if I ate like a horse every day I'm guessing that the beneficial effects of working my a** off would be neutralized. So I need to keep focused on my food intake, and not just rest on my shrinking laurels.

With work getting busier, it would be grand if I could get into the habit of making dishes that reheat well in the 'wave. Casseroles are perfect, except all I can think of are things like Tuna Noodle casserole, or mac n cheese, neither of which exactly fit the framework of Healthy Eating.

I think I just need to stop knitting long enough to think on this topic to find a solution. *sigh*